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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. march — music
  9. rule — a law
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rule — government
  24. tear — to rip

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com